Rabbi Akiva was once teaching his students when he noticed some of them drowsing off. He banged on his shtender [lectern] and said, “chevrah, I want you to know something. Because Sara lived 127 years, Esther many years later got to rule over 127 countries.” His students perked up and stayed alert and awake. What they had been told is that each day, each hour, each second has a potential that will be rewarded. And they didn’t want to snooze through any of life’s opportunities.